Orphans Call Orphan Slasher-Flick "Offensive"

At first glance I thought a friend was sending me a headline from The Onion yesterday when I received the email titled: "Orphans Criticize the Movie Orphan as 'Offensive.'"

But no, it seems that the real-life orphan community is outraged about the release today of the horror flick Orphan. If you haven't seen the trailer yet, the film is about a family that adopts an orphan named Esther.

Esther seems sweet and precocious for a Wednesday Addams look-a-like. It's not 'til the family takes Esther home, however, that they soon realize she's a lot more like Linda Blair's Regan from The Exorcist than Little Orphan Annie. Killings ensue. 

Apparently, orphans -- and one orphan in particular who's using the film to promote her new book -- feels that Orphans paints a twisted view of parent-less children. Continue reading to see the press release from the angry orphan and author, Kim Michele Richardson. It's Daily RFT's Press Release o' the Day.

Statement: Orphans Criticize the Movie Orphan as "Offensive"

Adoption Community United in Criticism of Warner Bros. Movie "Orphan"

High profile adoption community advocates and orphans are strongly united in expressing dismay over Warner Bros. new film "Orphan" releasing July 24.

One of the strongest voices criticizing the movie is a self-described "Orphan" who lived through years of abuse in an orphanage.

Kim Michele Richardson, author of "The Unbreakable Child," a heart-breaking expose on abuse in an orphanage was outspoken on the issue of the movie: "I am one of forty-four orphans along with noted attorney, William F. McMurry who brought, and won, a national landmark lawsuit against an order of Catholic nuns and priest for the systematic violation, humiliation, and injury we suffered at their hands in a brutal orphanage environment. And as a former orphan who resided in a orphanage for nearly a decade, struggled and whom endeared brutal abuses,  I find the premise of Warner Bros. film, "Orphan" disheartening, disturbing and I, too, worry about is effects on future adoptions."

Richardson especially points to the movie touts the "demeaning" line, " There is Something Wrong With Esther" and is quick to add: "There Is Something Wrong With Warner Bros."

"For me and many, April's release of my memoir, The Unbreakable Child, bookends the serious tragedy of the Irish endemic on the other side of the world.  Throughout my book and in my childhood, I was always searching for my "forever family" --  an adopted family, but always felt tainted by the word, orphan, and not worthy.

Indeed as I say in my book:  "Orphan is the loneliest word in Lexicon."  I strongly feel Warner Bros. just took it to a new level, making orphan the 'dirtiest' word in the lexicon."
 
In the United States alone, thousands of children reside in orphanages and group homes today. According to Richardson, "they suffer unimaginable horrors and struggle to just survive."
 
The movie "Orphan" delivers an oblique message for children in need of a forever family.  Trailers for the film, shown now for two months reveal enough to create anger amongst various members of America's adoption community. The trailer was deemed so offensive, the line "It must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own" was removed.
 
Trailer Orphan.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPFQ8I04bv

Kim Michele Richardson: "As a former orphan, I'm qualified to speak on this matter and to say, "Orphan" is an insult, insensitive and a damaging stereotype movie, which I fear will only harm children without families."

....Well, it's certainly not as cute as this, but then again, what is?